Piano.



Patented Oct. 23, |900. G. B. DURKEE.

No. 6mes.

PIANO.

(Application led Jan. 19, 1900.\

(No Model.)

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N0. 660,|83. Patented 061:. 23, |900. G. B. DUHKEE.

PIANO.

(Application led Isn. 19, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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A TTORNE Ys UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

GEORGE B. DURKEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PIANO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,183, dated october2s, 190e.

Application ile January 19, 1900. .'lcrial No. 1.974. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. DU'RKEE, a citizen of the United States,residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illin'ois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Pianos, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pianos.

IfIeretofore in the construction of pianos the strings have beencustomarily strung on or over a heavy strong cast-iron or other metalplate weighing from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fiftypounds or more and to which the opposite ends of the strings areconnected either directly or through the customary wooden pin-blockwhich ordinarily abuts against one edge of the metal plate, this strongheavy metal plate bein g calculated to resist and serving to resist theenormous aggregate strain of the multitude of strings, and theconnection between the strings and the sounding-board (through which allthe tone is ultimatelydeveloped and which heretofore has ordinarily beenmade quite thin, generally about three-eighths of an inch in thickness)has been simply thro ugh the bridge or bridges connected to thesounding-board and over which the strings pass and against which theyexert, at least when the piano is new, a light pressure at right anglesto the plane of the sounding-board and to the direction of the strain ofthe strings, the strings and sounding-board being substantially parallelto each other. In this old construction where the thin sounding-board issubjected to a slight pressure from the strings in a direction at rightangles to its plane, owing to the nature of the pressure and the factthat it is always in one direction, the soundingboard frequently finallygives up under this pressure in one direction and the rapid vibrationsof the strings until there is little or` no pressure of any kind of thestrings upon the sounding-board, which condition results in a very thinunsatisfactory sound, and for the same reason pianos of this oldconstruction instead of improving with age and use speedily deteriorateand are comparatively short-lived, especially when subjected to anythinglike constant use.

The object of my invention is to provide a piano of a simple, efficient,and durable conL struction which will produce a more mellow tone andsuperior results to those heretofore in use and which at the same timewill tend to improve in quality and tone from age and use instead ofdeteriorating and in which also the cost of construction is materiallylesscned.

A further object is to lessen the weight of the piano and to greatlyfacilitate its portability.

These important objects or results, I have discovered, may beaccomplished (and I have so demonstrated by experiment) by combiningwith a thick sounding-board strings strung directly on the board-that isto say, so that the entire tension and strain of the strings is exerteddirectly upon the sounding-board itself, so that the sounding-board, aswell as the strings, is kept constantly under tension or strain. By this'direct combination of the strings with the sounding-board I find byactual experiment and demonstration that the tone of the piano isgreatly improved in volume and quality over that produced by the oldconstruction and that a much better and mellower effect is alsoproduced, while at the same time, remarkable as it may seem, theinstrument will stand or remain much more perfectly in tune and for amuch greater length of time than is the case with the old constructionof pianos, and my experiments also tend to indicate that my vnewconstruction of piano does and will grow better and better in tone andquality with age instead of tending to deteriorate.

In practicing myinvention I employ a much thicker sounding-board andprovide it with larger ribs than have heretofore been consideredpossible in piano construction to enable it to properly withstand theenormous combined tension of the strings, and I combine all the stringswith the sounding-board itself through the pin block, which abutsagainst one edge of the board and the bridge or bridges, which areconnected directly to the board at the opposite ends of the strings, sothat the entire strain and tension of the strings is brought to beardirectly on the sounding-board itself, where all tone-vibrations arelfinally developed. My soundingboard is thus itself maintained under theenor- IOO mous aggregate compression tension of the numerous strings,thus givingit a wonderful tonal capacity.

In practicing my invention the soundingboard is preferably made fromive-eighths of an inch to one inch in thickness, and thestrengthening-ribs with which it is provided at intervals I ordinarilymake from iive-eighths of an inch to one inch or more in thickness.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,Figure lis a plan view of a piano sounding-board and strings embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line a; of Fig. l.Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are enlarged detail sections on lines 3 3, et 4, 55, and G 6 of Fig. l, respectively; and Fig. 7 is an enlarged detailplan View of a portion of the spring-bridge which is secured to thesounding-board.

In the drawings, A represents the frame of the piano or a portionthereof.

B is a thick sounding-board, the same being preferably aboutthree-fourths of an inch in thickness and provided with a series ofheavy strengtheningribs Z1 on its back side and extending in a diagonaldirection across the board and parallel to each other. Thesounding-board is also provided with transverse ribs 1)', extending,preferably, at right angles to the ribs b. The ribs l) are preferablyabout an inch thick and about the same in width.

C is the wooden pin-block, the same being of any usual or customaryconstruction. One edge of the sounding-board abuts directly against thispin-block.

D D' Dzare the strings, the same being all connected at one end to thepin-block C by the customary wrist-pins C.

F and F are the bridges. The main or central bridge F extends centrallyand diagonally across the sounding-board and transversely tothe ribs band is preferably curved about as illustrated in the drawings. The lowerbridge Fl, to which the spring-bridge F2 is attached, extends across thecorner of the board and is preferably curved about as illustrated in thedrawings. The bridges F F are securely glued tothe sounding-board, andthe spring-bridge Fgand bridge F are in addition secured together and tothe sounding-board by carriage-bolts fand wood-screwsf, which are set atan angle and furnished with tapering washers f2, the screws and boltsbeing inclined in the direction of the strain of the strings on thespring-bridge, so that the tension of the strings will tend to compressthe bridges and sounding-board more tightly together instead of to pullthem apart, as would be the case if the screws and bolts were inclinedin the opposite direction or set atright angles to the plane of thesounding-board. I also employ blind dowel-pins f3 to give additionalsecurity to these parts.

The covered strings D, which constitute the overstrung portion of theinstrument, are connected at one end, as before stated, to the pin-blockand at their opposite eye ends to the spring-bridge F2, which isprovided with slots flto receive the twisted eye endsd of the strings,through which eye ends the holdingpins d are inserted, as shown, forexample, in Figs. I, 6, and 7.

The plain steel strings D', covering the middle section of theinstrument, are passed over the bridge F and through small holes h2 inthe sounding-board B and through a hard-wood strip G, glued to the backside of the sounding-board, and around the metal pin g and back througha contiguous hole in the sounding-board, thus making two strings. Incase a single string is required an eye is twisted on its end throughwhich the pin is inserted, the single string passing through a singlehole at the back of the bridge, as before described. As shown in Fig. e,the string D/ is passed around under the head of an inclined wood-screwj", by which the bridge F is secured tothe sounding-board,suchwood-screws being inserted at the intersection of the bridge F with theribs Z2. This method of securing the end of the stri ng may be employedat any point on the bridge, but is particularly applicable at the pointswhere the ribs hintersect the bridge and renders it unnecessary to passthe strings through the sounding-board and rib.

The strings D2 of the upper register I prefer to pass over the bridge F,as illustrated in Fig. 3, and secure their ends to the soululingboard byinclined wood-screws 7L 7L, which pass through hard-wood strips H II onopposite sides of the sounding-board and which extend parallel to thebridge F. These hardwood strips I-I HT, which run parallel with thebridge F, form additional strengthening-ribs for the sounding-board andsupport this portion of the board, where the strings are short,numerous, and close together, in such manner as to assist greatly inbringing out the higher tones of the instru ment.

In Fig. l of the drawings I have, for sake of clearness, omitted all thestrings of each set D, D', and D2 except a few of the marginal ones ofeach set.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings I have shown a hard-wood strip K, which, il'preferred, may be placed on the opposite side of the sounding-board fromthe spring-bridge F2 throughout a portion or a whole of the lengt-h olthe spring-bridge.

I nd in constructing a piano soundingboard in this way and combining`the strings therewith in this manner that the downward pressure of thestrings upon the board immediately in front of the bridge iscounteracted or counterbalanced by an upward pressure directly behindsaid bridge, which serves to keep the sounding-board practically in itsoriginalposition, whereas in the old constructi0n,where the strings werehitched to a metal plate or frame, distinct and separate from thesoundingboard, and allowed to produce a pressure in one direction onlyon the sounding-board, Which Was made thin, the sounding-board Wouldsooner or later give way slightly under the pressure, and thus leave thestrings and sounding-board practically separate from and uncombined Witheach other and resulting in a very unsatisfactory and insufficient tone.

As will be readily understood from Figs. 2, 5, and 6, the component offorce or pressure of the strings toward and upon the soundingboard atand through the bridge is counteracted or counterbalanced by thecomponent of force or pressure in the opposite direction of the stringsupon the board at the point back of the bridge Where the strings areattached to the board, as action and reaction are of course equal and asthe strings arel strung upon the sounding-board itself.

In my invention, as my thick heavily-ribbed sounding board is combinedwith strings strung directly thereon and exerting their tension on theboard in the direction of its plane, the sounding-board itself, as Wellas the strings, is maintained under constant tension or strain and ispeculiarly adapted to give out full, mellow, and resonant tones in greatvolume and with peculiar sweetness and perfection, and, strange as itmay seem, I have found by extensive experiments that my thickheavily-ribbed soundingboard, combined With strings strung directly uponit or so as to exert their tension directly upon it, is not only capableof producing the most delicate tones, as Well as much greater volume andperfection in quality, but it also successfully Withstands the enormousaggregate strain and tension of the multitude of strings Without givingWay or getting out of shape, and that the instrument is also much lessliable to get out of tune than in pianos of the old con struction. Mynew piano is also much less in Weight, as I entirely dispense' with theheavy cast-iron or metal plate heretofore generally used.

In pianos constructed according to my invention, wherein one end of thestrings is secured to bridges attached to one side or face of the board,the anchorage of one end of the strings is on the vibratorj,7 boarditself, and the strings are thus all free to vibrate and for this reasonproduce much superior tones to strings Which simply pass over the bridgeand are anchored or connected to a rigid castiron plate.

In the drawings I have for convenience illustrated my invention asapplied to an upright piano; but it Will be understood by those skilledin the art that it is also applicable to grand pianos.

I claim- 1. A piano having no string-frame or met-al plate to resist thetension of the strings, and

comprising in combination a thick soundingboard, strings strung on theboard itself on one side thereof and exerting their tension or strainthereon in the direction of its plane, substantially as specified.

2. A piano having no string-frame or metal plate to resist the tensionof the strings, and comprising in combination a piano pin-block, a thicksounding-board abutting at one edge against the pin block, and providedWith bridges, and strings secured at one end to the pin block and attheir other ends to the bridges on the sounding-board, said stringsexerting their strain and tension directly on the sounding-board in thedirection of its plane, substantially as specified.

3. A piano having no string-frame or metal plate to resist the tensionof the strings, and comprising in combination a thick, heavily-y ribbed,sounding-board, strings strung directly upon the board itself andexerting their tension thereon in the direction of its plane, one partor series of said strings extending across the board at an angle toanother part or series thereof, substantially as specified.

e. In a piano the combination With a thick sounding-board havingparallel ribs extending diagonally across the board, of a series ofstrings D strung across the board at an angle to said ribs, and a seriesof strings D D2 strung across the board at an angle to said strings D,all of said strings exerting their strain or tension upon the boarditself, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with a pin-block, of a thick, heavily-ribbedsounding-board abutting at one edge against the pin-block, and providedwith bridges F, FQ and springbridge F2, of a series of strings Dsecuredat one end to the pin-block and at the other end to said spring-bridge,and a series of strings D' secured at one end to the pin-block and atthe other to said bridge F, and a series of strings D2 secured at oneend to the pin-block extending over said bridge F, and secured at theiropposite ends to strips H I-I' secured to thesounding-board,substantially as specified.

G. The combination With a pin-block, of a IOS IIO

thick, heavily-ribbed sounding-board abutting at one edge against thepin-block, and provided with bridges F, F', and spring-bridge F2, of aseries of strings D secured at one end to the pin-block and at the otherto said springbridge, and a series of strings D secured at one end tothe pin-block and at the other to said bridge F, and a series of stringsD2 secured at one end to the pin-block extending over said bridge F, andsecured at their opposite ends to strips II II secured to thesounding-board, said strings D passing through holes in thesounding-board, substantially as specified.

7. In a piano, the combination With a thick, heavily-ribbedsounding-board,of a pin-block abutting against the sounding-board at oneedge, a central bridge F, an outer bridge F having spring-bridge F2secured thereto by inclined bolts or screws, and a series of strings Dsecured at one end to the pin-blocks passing over the central bridge F,and secured at their opposite ends to said spring-bridge, substantiallyas specied.

S. In a piano, the Combination With the pinblook, of a thick,heavily-ribbed soundingboard, a bridge F secured to the soundingboard,and strings D secured at one end to the pin-block and at their oppositeends passing over said bridge and through holes in the sounding-board,and provided with eyes, and pins passing through the eyes, substantiallyas specified.

9. A piano having no string-frame or metal plate to resist the tensionof the strings, and comprising in combination a piano pin-block, athiclgheavilynibbed,sounding-board under the compression strain in thedirection of its plane of the tension of its strings, a bridge F securedthereto, and strings D2, secured at one end to the pin-block and attheir other ends passing over said bridge and secured to GEORGE B.DURKEE.

lfitnesses:

I-I. M. MUNDAY, L. E. CURTIS.

